[wolf]

I worked last Saturday night. Typically I work 1600 - 2400. Because I had something I had to do on Sunday morning, my midnight coverage offered to come in early ... sometime between 2200 and 2300. She came in at 2200. I arrived home to find the wrong lights on in the house ... there are certain ones that momwolf typically leaves on. Momwolf was in a chair, slumped over to one side. She was breathing, but unreponsive to anything but painful stimuli. I tested her blood sugar. It was 34 ("normal" is usually around 100). This isn't the first low blood sugar episode we've had, but I usually come onto this scene when momwolf is confused, but conscious, and I'm able to get some OJ or bananas into her to bring her blood sugar up. I called 911 and the EMTs transported her to the ER. When they tested her sugars in the bus, it had dropped further, down to 22. They gave her a load of stat glucose and got her conscious and talking by the time they reached the ER. I followed along behind and spent a lot of time sitting with her, first in a hallway, and then in a curtain area until she was poked and prodded and tested and ready to be sent home at around 0400.

So, basically, my shift coverage's desire for two additional hours of OT (and my not caring about losing two hours of OT) saved my mother's life.